Manually adjustable footrail



July 17, 1951 L 2,561,091

MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE FOOTRAIL Filed Aug. 28, 1945 Jazz/zi z; w WW2 Patented July 17, 1951 I MANU LLY ADJUSTABLE FOOTRAIL Alfred B. Bell, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Heywood-Wakefield Company, Gardner,

Mass., a

corporation of Massachusetts Application August-28, 1945, Serial No. 613,064

4 Claims. (01. 155 171) This invention relates to a foot rail "adapted to be mounted at the backs of chairs for the use of the occupants of the chairs immediately behind those which carry the foot rails. It is van object of the invention to provide a foot rail which can-be adjusted to different elevations by the manipulation of a handle on the chair which carries the foot rail, the handle being placed within easy reach of the user of the foot rail.

Another object of the invention is to provide a foot rail havingan adjusting mechanism which permits elevation of the rail from any position of adjustment by a lifting force actin directly on the rail. For example, the user can hook his toe under the rail and elevate'it. Furthermore, if the foot rail is mounted on a rotatable chair in such a Way that the rail in its lower positions of adjustment will strike a corner of the pedestal when the chair is rotated, the rail will yield upwardly and estal.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description of an embodiment thereof and to the drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle chair carrying a foot rail mechanism embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Figure 5.

The drawing illustrates avehicle chair suitable for use in a railway car or the like and comprising a seat H], a back l2, side frames [4, arm rests l6 and a pedestal l8, the latter being preferably fastened to the floor. The chair may be provided with any desired type of reversing mechanism (not shown) by which it may be swung around on its pedestal to face in the opposite direction.

A foot rail 20 is carried by the chair at the rear thereof for use of the occupant of the chair next behind. The rail 20 is supported by bracket arms 22 at its ends, these arms being secured to a shaft 24 which is rotatable in bearing members 26 mounted on the frame of the chair. Mounted on the shaft is a gear wheel 28 which meshes with a rack 30. For convenience of manufacture and adjustment, the rack 30 is made in the form of a screw thread or Worm formed, on a avoid injury to itself or to'the pedportion, being slidable in an axial bore 42.

rod 32. The rod 32 does not rotate in use but moves axially within a tubular guide member 34 which is supported by a pair of ears 36 through which the shaft 24 projects, permitting variation of the angular position of the rod 32 with respect to the shaft 24.

The upper end of the rod 32 is pivotally attached to an arm 38 projecting from a lever 40 at an intermediate point thereof. The lever swings about a pivot 4| at its lower end on one of the side frames l4.

The upper portion of the lever 40 is a plunger 44 which is in telescoping relation to the lower The plunger 44 is pressed outward by a compression spring 46 seated in the bore 42 and bearing against the inner end of the plunger, but the movement of the plunger is limited by a pin 48 which projects laterally therefrom and rides in a short longitudinally extending slot 50 in the wall of the lever 40. The plunger 44 extends through a slot 52 in an arcuate top plate '54 at the rear end of the arm rest l6 concentric with the pivot, 4|. The top plate 54 thus forms,;a housing in the rear of the arm rest IS. The plunger terminates in a knob or handle 56 on the end which projects beyond the top plate 54 and is within easy reach of the occupant of the chair next behind.

The sides of the slot 52 are notched at intervals as at 58, these notches being shaped and arranged, as shown in Figure 6, to form with portions of the slot itself a series of semicircular openings so that the plate 54 is essentially a rack adapted to receive a pawl 60 which is in the shape of a semicircular block or collar fixed on the plunger 44 where it passes through the slot 52. When the plunger is pressed by the spring 46 to its outer position, the pawl 60 engages in one of the semicircular openings and holds the lever 40 in a corresponding position of angular adjustment.

The rectilinear edges 62 of the notches 58 are undercut at 64 (Figure 5), this undercut bevelled surface being engaged by a complementary bevelled surface 66 on the pawl 60. If, therefore, a lifting force is applied to the rail '20, this tends to swing the lever 40 in a clockwise direction about its pivot. The bevelled surfaces 64 and 66 exert a camming action on the plunger 44 tending to press it inward against the spring 48. If suificient force is exerted, the plunger is forced inward to release the lever 40 to move until the pawl 60 catches in another of the series of semicircular openings indicated in Figure 2.

coaxially therewith, a rack slidable within gu'ide means carried by the chair ,;and; -said;rack.;being meshed with said pinion, a lever rockably mounted on said chair and pivotally connected to said rack to movesaid rack longitudinally bwhenethe lever :is recked, andrratchet and pawl means :carried ?by :said rchair :a-nd lever :and :armanged to permit free movement-of ='the1lever:in

one direction-orily.

2 *Imcombination with a: chair having.- an :arm rest, a housing at the rear end of saidiarmt rest having --an arcuate wall portion :with :a slot therein, an operating lever projecting through said F8101, in "the housing and {having a #knob at outer 'end, sa-id operating lever :having its other end pivotally mounted-'on'sai'd chair where- *by-ithe lever --may slide in *the 1 housing, a rack sslidable-within=gu-ide means carrieddoythe-chair aan'd connected at one end to=-said ilever, a-:pinion Totatably mountedon said chair ;in mesh :with said-rackwherebyflongitudinal movement ;o'f said grack by operation of said'levercauses: said pinion to rotate, :and a foo't ":rail rockably mounted 1 on 'said "chair and operatively'-'connected to said pinion forrockingmovement therewith to differ- *BfltfPOSitiOnSOf adjustment.

" In combination -With-7a *chairhaving an arm rest,-a;foot"rail mountedat the rear-of said-chair to', *rock about "-ahorizontal axis, a-leverpivotally imounted at the rear end of said arm :rest, :a"

4 linkage connecting said lever and foot rail so that the lever and foot rail rock in unison, and ratchet and pawl means on said lever and chair cooperating to hold said foot rail against downward movement, said lever having a telescoping structure operable to release said pawl to allow idownwardi. rocking movement gdftthe. foot rail.

*4.-In combination with a chair, 'aa' horizontal shaft rockably mounted at the rear of said chair, a foot rail secured to said shaft to rock about ;the axisthereof, a pinion mounted on said shaft, arack in mesh with said pinion and longitudi- .nall-y" movable tov'rotate said shaft thereby rock- -"-in ;.the-'-'foot.-r ai1, a lever pivoted at one end to *said chairat the-rear thereof and at the other :end ipivotally :connected to the said rack, a spring pressed plunger projecting upward from the lever, a pawl with a bevelled edge carried by said plunger, a handle at the outer end of :-said 'rplunger, wand .za aratchet .rmemher ihavin z notches swit'h' zbevelled ledges engageable by the "bevelled ;:edge :of jSELid r-tpawltorpermit upward smovementrof said nail by;.force:applieddirectly :to therail andrtosreleasetthezrailsfor movement ,up 1'01 -:down whenfitherhandle: pressed lt'ozdis- ;.engage :the zpawlzfrom tthe ratchet, 2311(11816493386. nor .=lowered :to :drive itherzsaidirack. v "1 v iREFERENGESzDI'EED The "following references are or *record in 5th :file :of this rpatent:

' -.-S.TAFIES Z BATEEN'ITS "L-Number Name .Date

8473321 :Clarke Aug. 17,1886 1375;448 Havward. "unifies. 127,:1887 5805.76 Ha1e v :uipr..;13,11897 $913373 Hale Jan."2l,il-902 40 1,219,868 Reisinger Mar. 20,-:1 917 2,093,455 j Knight $Sept.'; -2i1 ,"EI937 92321 7 352 3F6dd:et2al. :Oct. 8, 11940 $2,284,129 iZGae-sar 'iMay,;2B,iI9A2 Cassens et a1. ll3ec.:21,il43 

